Lake · Sarıkum, Sinop, Sinop
Sarıkum Lake
Sarıkum Gölü · Sarıkum Tabiatı Koruma Alanı
A coastal lake west of Sinop at the heart of the Sarıkum Nature Protection Area, a reserve of lake, wetland and dunes protected since 1987.
Where it is
42.0152, 34.9206
Why go
Sarıkum Lake lies west of Sinop, north of the Sinop–Ayancık road at about its 19th kilometre, in Sarıkum village, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Kültür Portalı. It is the core of the Sarıkum Nature Protection Area, managed by the 10th Regional Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks: 489 ha, including 101 ha of lake surface and 100 ha of wetland, protected since 1987 and a first-degree natural site since 1991. The directorate's 2014 nature-tourism plan described ring footpaths, no on-site services, no entry fee and a far-shore track usable only by off-road vehicles in summer; XTOUR has not verified whether any of that still applies. Hunting of any kind is banned.
Getting there
North of the Sinop–Ayancık road at about km 19, per the Ministry's Kültür Portalı. The map point is the middle of the lake, not a place to arrive; no official visitor point or car park coordinate was found. Current fees, hours and visitor rules are not stated by any current official source (a 2014 directorate plan said entry was free).
Through the year
The directorate's 2014 plan described winter walking as difficult and the far-shore track as summer-only. No current seasonal statement was found.
Safety
Hunting of any kind is banned in the reserve.
Accessibility
No official source describes paths or step-free access.
Near Sarıkum Lake
Viewpoint
İnceburun (Anatolia's northernmost point)
The cape north of Sinop that marks Anatolia's northernmost point, with an 1863 lighthouse and viewing terraces over the Black Sea.
9 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Fortress
Sinop Castle
The fortified walls around Sinop's old town on the Black Sea, about 2 km in circuit and under Ministry-funded restoration. Part of a UNESCO Tentative List serial site.
19 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Park
Ilgaz Mountain National Park
A forested mountain national park on the Kastamonu–Çankırı border, crossed by the main Ankara–Kastamonu highway, with ski lifts and a visitor centre.
145 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Park
Küre Mountains National Park
A large forested national park of canyons, caves and waterfalls behind the western Black Sea coast in Kastamonu and Bartın, including Valla Canyon and the Çatak Canyon glass terrace.
179 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ